Epson announces end of laser printer production

[isladogs]

If, like me, you have an Epson laser printer, you might want to read this article:

https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/29/epson-announces-end-of-laser-printer-production/

Note particularly this comment:

The company has been in the news lately regarding the deliberate bricking of customer printers. Customers discovered that they could not use the Epson ink printer anymore.

 

[Galaxiom]

I swore years ago I would never buy an Epson product when I discovered their ink jet printers would disable an ink cartridge once it had been fitted and removed. Even a brand new genuine cartridge that had not printed anything could not be refitted.

I hope the company goes broke.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Planned obsolescence

 

[isladogs]

I swore years ago I would never buy an Epson product when I discovered their ink jet printers would disable an ink cartridge once it had been fitted and removed. Even a brand new genuine cartridge that had not printed anything could not be refitted.

I hope the company goes broke.

I remember HP doing something very similar to prevent use of cartridge refills. It also prevented me using a genuine cartridge.
I believe they scrapped the idea after a major outcry

 

[arnelgp]

you're talking laser printer, so it does not use inkjet cartridge.
also all inkjets now can be converted to injet tanks.

 

[isladogs]

you're talking laser printer, so it does not use inkjet cartridge.
also all inkjets now can be converted to injet tanks.

Post #1 was about Epson laser printers. Post #4 referred to HP inkjets. I have both.
The point was that more than one manufacturer has deliberately tried to limit the use of hardware after it has been purchased.

 

[Galaxiom]

I remember HP doing something very similar to prevent use of cartridge refills.

I had a HP inkjet I bought in 1995. Ironically it was always blocking up the jets until I bought a Calidad refill kit, then it wasn't a problem any more.

I remember I used to block half the jets in the printhead and blow in the vent of the colour inkjet we bought next. Forget what brand it was. It had a "waste ink reservoir" which eventually reported as being full. Turned out to be a big sponge in the bottom which required considerable dismantling to access. I washed it out and reset the warning.

I had dirty coloured hands a lot in those days. I'm not not a fan of inkjet printers.

The old HP LaserJet 5 printers we had at work were ten years old and never missed a beat.

 

[Minty]

I've got an HP 2015D laser printer for the home office that must be at least 15 or even 20 years old.
It's never missed a beat, the only thing it gets upset with is trying to print huge pictures when the memory overflows.

 

[isladogs]

@Galaxiom
I'm surprised you didn't also get your face covered in ink when blowing into the tank
I changed over to laser printers partly for speed and quality but also because I got fed up with inkjet cartridges drying up when nowhere near empty. These days I rarely print anything and my laser cartridges last for well over a year, but they always work.

 

[NauticalGent]

The cost for laser printers have really gotten better. At the store rep's recommendation, we went with a Brother and so far it was been great. We were going to go with Epson originally but he talked us out of it citing a decline in quality.

 

[GPGeorge]

The cost for laser printers have really gotten better. At the store rep's recommendation, we went with a Brother and so far it was been great. We were going to go with Epson originally but he talked us out of it citing a decline in quality.

I gave up on Epson years ago. I learned that regardless of whether you printed in color or black only, the Epson printers always, always, sprayed just a tiny bit of the colored inks "to keep them from drying out". So, sooner or later, the expensive color cartridges ran empty regardless of not printing anything in color. It seemed like a good deal for Epson, but for the consumer, not so much.

 

[Jason Lee Hayes]

The issue really lies with the buyer and the seller. The buyer wants a printer so trots off to PC world and says I want a printer. The seller leans towards what could I sell them which would get me the most profit. At no point are the right questions asked such as:-

What's your budget?
Do you really need color?
How often are you going to use the printer?
What environment is it going to be used in?
Is print speed a concern?
Is functionality a requirement?
What is the running costs?

It goes on and on...

Laser printers are almost given away nowerdays that offer excellent quality and function however if considering going down the laser route you really need to do your homework on cartridge and fuser replacement. Fusers alone can cost just as much as a new direct replacement printer which comes with warranty. Also; new laser printers usually do not come with full yield cartridges therefore don't last long.

Ink Jet printers have come along way what with super fine heads and built in functionality such as PicBridge, WiFI, Bluetooth, built in scanner, print to DVD etc however they are very problematic if not being used regular as the ink tends to dry in the jets therefore requiring nozzle head and deep cleaning more ofter than not which uses excessive ink. Thankfully we no longer need to use origional chiped cartridges as 3rd party cartridges can be purchased very cheaply on auction sites.

Dust is also an issue with ink jet therefore strongly recommend a printer cover to be used when not in use.

I spent several years professionally fixing both InkJet and Laser printers amongst many other PC related devices but in this day and age its rarely cost effective to repair them anymore..

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I remember having an HP Laserjet from maybe 30 years ago. Ran like a champ for a long time until finally the drum became worn enough to leave permanent stripes and there was no way to repair it that I could find at the time, including on-line and calling local HP repair shops. Even back that far, it had already become cheaper to replace.

 

[Jason Lee Hayes]

I remember having an HP Laserjet from maybe 30 years ago. Ran like a champ for a long time until finally the drum became worn enough to leave permanent stripes and there was no way to repair it that I could find at the time, including on-line and calling local HP repair shops. Even back that far, it had already become cheaper to replace.

Yes; the trusted HP Laserjet.. Some had PCL5 and were good reliable printers. The banding on the paper was a common fault and more ofter than not was incorrectly diagnosed as a drum issue however 80% of the time we found the fuser was the primary issue in that it failed to reach the required temperature to allow the powder to be affixed to the paper effectively with the fuser temprature in modern printers exceeding 250 degrees Celsius! Drum alignment and carrier was also a common fault..

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Considering how much I used the darned thing and for how many years I beat the hell out of it, I have to guess that the drum really WAS the problem. One of the techs I took it to gave me an incredible price to repair it that was almost as much as I had paid for it.